First, I have a standing rule: I will trade for Kezzerdrix and Purraj of Urborg. I currently have somewhere in the vicinity of 80 Kezzerdrixes (give or take a few), and about 20 Purrajs. But I won't trade high for them; they're $1-$2 rares.
Now, this is how I collect my sets.
I WILL buy boxes of the newest set (usually having saved up some significant fundage beforehand). Major sets, three boxes. Minor sets, one box. This will usually get me *close* to what I need.
Then, I look at the cards I still need, and form a need list. At this point, I start buying individual boosters.
AS SOON as I buy three boosters in a row and *don't* get a card I need for my set, it's time to start trading. I put together my have list and do things like Istanbul's Big Freaking Trade Post in the Trading Post area, trade at my local tournaments, etc.
I'm not above buying the last two or three cards for a set, but I will try to trade for them first. (I can't tell you how much of a headache Absorb was giving me, due to my $10 rule.)
As for some steady trading policies, here goes:
1. On the Internet, nobody knows if you're a dog...or a thief.
- This one is pretty obvious. Most of the people here, I know fairly decently by now, and can track down if need be, so I'm not too shy about simulsending. But if Joe Blow comes out of the blue and offers me a trade, I'm going to need some references.
2. Getting references from someone and not checking them is like buying a car and not driving it.
- The whole point behind getting references is checking them to ask other people what their trading experience with this person has been like. I can go yank 50 e-mail addresses off of the net without batting an eyelash, all of which I hadn't actually traded with. If you don't check references, it's the same as not having references at all.
3. People on AOL or with freemail addresses (hotmail and the like) send first.
- The SOLE exception to this is if the person in question has a pretty hefty reference list, and not only does the vast majority of them reply, but they respond glowingly about the person in question. It's all too easy to get onto AOL or Hotmail, do a trade, get the other guy's cards, and vanish out of existence, so caution is the watchword of the day.
4. Don't do trades you don't like.
- This seems obvious at first glance, but you wouldn't believe how many people are willing to do trades they're really not comfortable with. If you don't like the trade, don't do it! Suggest something else, or walk away. Nothing's worse than the sinking sensation of doing a bad trade and realizing it *after* the fact.
5. Have a have/want list ready.
- This is more of an example of etiquette than anything else, but it's a big one. Very little is more irritating than talking to someone, whether online or in person, and having them tell you 'oh, I don't know what I want'. It's a waste of your time and mine if I want certain cards of yours, go to the trouble of sending you a have list (or whipping out my card binder, if in person), and having you spend a long time perusing it only to decide 'Nah, I don't want anything here.' Know what you want, and know what kind of value you put on it.
6. Be realistic.
- Nobody wants to trade their Mox Sapphire for your Cursed Scroll, even if it IS signed. Nobody wants to trade their foil Rishadan Port for your Alabaster Leech. If you wouldn't do the trade, don't propose it to someone else. Doing so is the same as saying 'I know *I* wouldn't do this trade, but I think you're stupid enough to fall for it.' It's quite insulting, and very irritating. (If it's not TOO far off, I usually propose a different trade...but if the card he wants is worth twice what he's offering, I usually just walk away.)
7. We're all friends here.
- How you trade is as important as what you trade. Nobody wants to be told that their cardstock sucks, that they're losers for even trying to trade with you, etc. Don't be arrogant or nasty about your cards, and don't tolerate others being that way about their own. Heck, there's a local guy that could probably fill half of my want list for old cards without missing a beat...but he's a jerk about it, so I'll pass. I'd much rather deal with more pleasant people and *wait* for a while.
8. Be patient.
- This has two different meanings. In person, it means that if you want to trade with Person A, and Person A is already trading with Person B, don't just jump in and start clamoring for A's attention. It's really very rude to just interrupt transactions like that, especially if you're trying to trade for the same card Person B wants; that's called stealing a trade, and will make you NO friends. Over the net, it means that you have to realize that the USPS is the slowest form of matter in the universe, and can therefore take a seemingly inordinate amount of time to get the cards you want to you. E-mail the person you've traded with, keep in contact. Only if they refuse to reply and it's been two weeks since the trade went through should you start getting uppity.
9. Make sure you're on the same wavelength.
- Does the person you're trading with expect you to send first, when you think it's a simulsend? Do you both realize which cards you're trading, and what condition they're in? Do you both know what day the other guy is mailing? Communication is key, both in online trading and in person. If the card a person wants is in less-than-mint condition, and he hasn't noticed it yet, point it out to him. I've made more trading partners by sacrificing one potential trade in favor of ten or twenty trades to come later.
10. It's just a game, after all.
- Ultimately, even if a trade goes sour, it *is* just a game. Don't try to call the police (unless several thousand dollars worth of cards are involved), don't phone the person up at all hours demanding your cards, etc. Just publically post what happened (JUST the facts), resolve not to trade with that person again, and let it go. His trading record will eventually speak for itself. This is one area where trading in person is better; you'll have the card in-hand when the trade is over. But even if you find out later that the card's condition is bad (perhaps this person didn't read #9) and is therefore unplayable, don't go all postal on him. Just approach him calmly, point out the mistake, and ask for either cards to round out the deal, or your card back. And if he refuses, do basically the same thing; tell people what happened, JUST the facts, and don't trade with that person again. Such people usually don't last very long.
But then, that's just me.
